1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to air conditioning equipment, and particularly to air conditioning equipment for mobile homes and other small structures. More particularly, this invention relates to an outdoor universal air handler unit for coupling to an adjacent compressor unit for providing cooling air into small structures from outdoors.
2. Description of Related Art
Private residences and small offices typically employ bifurcated central air conditioning systems usually requiring closet, attic or other indoor space to house the indoor component of the systems, the evaporator coil and blower. The blower impels indoor air from the structure interior across the evaporator for cooling and then through duct work for distribution within the structure. A corresponding outdoor component includes a compressor, condenser coil and fan within a separate outdoor cabinet, usually sitting on a pad adjacent a building wall. Coolant lines carry pressurized coolant (usually freon) between the two units. See FIG. 2.
Interior space in such small structures, and especially in mobile homes, can be comparatively scarce, and such scarcity is aggravated by bifurcated systems. Small structures often don't include attic space, so placing the evaporator and blower in a closet inside becomes the only option. It would be preferable to eliminate the need for dedicated indoor space in such structures.
This, of course, is not a new problem, and the air conditioning industry developed a widely popular solution, called a package unit, for mobile home installations. Package units include all four air conditioner components in a single cabinet resting on a pad adjacent an exterior wall of the mobile home. See FIGS. 3-4B. Two flexible ducts, for cool and return air, couple between the outdoor package unit and the mobile home duct work, thereby eliminating the need for dedicated interior closet or attic space for the evaporator/blower component.
Requirements for greater energy efficiency in residential and small commercial air conditioning systems have developed in recent years, however, and the physical size of compressors and condenser units have grown correspondingly. This has reached a point where, at least in crowded mobile home parks, there simply isn't space between mobile homes for a large enough package unit. The interim solution has been to return to using bifurcated systems for mobile homes, again requiring interior space for evaporator and blower units. A need exists for means to conserve interior space while using higher efficiency outdoor condenser and compressor units.